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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. bat — the animal
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. march — music
  7. spring — a coil
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. key — in music
  12. rush — hurry
  13. march — the month
  14. march — the month
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. present — the time now
  17. spring — the season
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. chair — a leader
  20. key — the most important part
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. key — for a lock
  23. present — there
  24. present — a gift

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com